Chapter 7: A More Perfect Union

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Chapter 7 A More Perfect Union

• Section 1
• Articles of Confederation and Perpetual Union

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Vocabulary

• 1. In a republic like the United States, citizens
  rule through elected representatives.
• 2. In creating their own constitution, most of
  the original states established a bicameral
  legislature to divide the power between two
  houses.
• 3. In 1785, the Confederation Congress passed an
  ordinance that established a procedure for
  surveying and selling the western lands north of
  the Ohio River.

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• 4. A written plan for government is called a
  constitution.
• 5. In the late 1700s when a districts
  population was the same as that of the smallest
  existing state, that district could apply to
  become a state by submitting a petition.
• 6. Money printed during the
• Revolutionary War began to
• depreciate, resulting in the
• Continental Congress and the
• states printing their own paper
• money.

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7. Limited State Governments

• State governments didnt like the British type of
  government
• (too strong)
• They wanted to prevent abuses in power
• They wanted to keep the power in the hands of the
  people (popular sovereignty)

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8. Americas First Constitution

• The Articles of Confederation and Perpetual
  Union between the States is the complete name of
  the government
• It is usually shortened to The Articles of
  Confederation or The Articles

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9. Powers of the Articles

• To conduct foreign affairs
• To maintain armed forces
• To borrow money
• To issue currency

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10. Weaknesses of the Articles

• They had no power to regulate trade
• They had no power to tax
• They had no chief executive to carry out the laws
• They had no court system to settle arguments
• It was very hard to pass laws
• They needed 13 out of 13 states (unanimous vote)
  to pass any laws about and most laws are
  about

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11. Ratification

• 13 out of 13 states (unanimous vote) were needed
  to start using this as our first government!

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12. Achievements of the Articles

• A. Independence from Great Britain
• B. Expanded the countries foreign trade
• C. Established settling and governing western
  territories
• D. Decimal System as our unit of money
  measurement

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13. Achievements of the Articles

• Land Ordinance of 1784
• (replaced by a later ordinance)
• Land Ordinance of 1785
• surveyed the land into townships of 36 square
  miles
• surveyed the townships into 36 sections of 1
  square mile (640 acres) each.
• sold sections for 640. (1.00 an acre).
• the 16th section in each township was set aside
  for public education (thanks,T.J.)

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• Land Ordinance of 1787 (Northwest Ordinance)
• created 5 states
• as a territory, 60,000 free citizens were needed
  before they could petition Congress to become a
  state
• included a bill of rights, which guaranteed
• freedom of religion
• trial by jury
• banned slavery in all new states and territories

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14. Problems because of the weaknesses

• NO POWER TO REGULATE TRADE

• Trade wars between states
• Maryland and Virginia
• Spain closed the port of New Orleans stopping all
  domestic and foreign trade using the Mississippi
  River
• States would not accept each others money making
  trade difficult

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• Heavy foreign and domestic debt (wars are
  expensive)
• Couldnt rebuilt after the war
• Couldnt pay the soldiers
• Couldnt pay ambassadors and consuls
• Couldnt pay loyalists for property seized in the
  war as per peace treaty so Britain would not give
  up western forts and lucrative fur trade
• Couldnt provide for widows and orphans
• National money not worth a Continental
• Shays Rebellion

• NO POWER TO TAX

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• Laws that are not upheld are worthless
• Foreign countries took advantage of us
• Mississippi River/New Orleans

• NO CHIEF EXECUTIVE

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• NO COURT SYSTEM

• Fights between states over
• Land claims
• Trade
• money

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• Needed 13/13 to pass any laws that had money
  involved
• Needed 13/13 to change the Articles

• HARD TO PASS LAWS